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Buzz Lightyear
Buzz Lightyear is a fictional character in Pixar's Toy Story franchise. Buzz is a toy space ranger hero, who is one of the lead heroes in the four Toy Story movies, along with Woody the cowboy. He was also spun off into his own animated feature film and a television series adapted therefrom. In the first Toy Story, Buzz is portrayed as a rival to Woody, competing with him for the affections of Andy (their owner), but then they become friends working together to be reunited with the boy as his family prepares to move to a new home. In Toy Story 2, Buzz quests with other toys to rescue Woody from a toy collector who has stolen him; by the end, he also develops a crush on Jessie the cowgirl. In Toy Story 3, Buzz deals with an uncertain turn of events once he and the other toys have been donated to a daycare center after Andy's departure for college. History with the Macy's Parade Buzz first appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2008, to promote Toy Story 3, which was to be released two years later in 2010. The Buzz Lightyear balloon featured a transparent helmet, making him the second Macy's balloon to use clear material. (the first being Abby Cadabby, in which she had her translucent wand) The balloon continued to appear until 2013, when he was retired from the Parade, making six appearances in all. In 2015, the balloon made an appearance at the 2015 D23 Expo at Anaheim, California to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of the first Toy Story film. After this event, the balloon was officially retired. With the franchise's conclusion after the release of Toy Story 4, it is unlikely this balloon will make an appearance anywhere ever again. Incidents * In 2013, Buzz Lightyear almost had his left arm punctured by the Macy's Santaland Express in an attempt to pass through when the float broke down at 55th Street. One of the utility vehicles pulling the balloon also ran over a female balloon handler by accident and injured her foot. Defects * The balloon's helmet would frequently have a dent in the bottom for unknown reasons. Although, it is common misconception that in 2012, the helmet ripped open and was caught on footage. Music Below, you will find a list of the music tracks that played during the balloon's appearance on the NBC telecast. * "Infinity and Beyond" (2008-2009) * "You've Got a Friend in Me" (Tom Scott Remix) (2010-2013) Trivia * Coincidentally, none of Buzz Lightyear's appearances, except his second, were to promote an actual Toy Story movie; his presence in the parade was made possible by the fact that, although the releases of these movies are infrequent, the franchise and its characters have been kept relevant in the interims between movies by numerous spin-off shorts, TV specials, video game appearances, and theme park attractions. Category:Macy's Balloon Characters Category:Movie Characters Category:2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:Retired Balloons Category:2000s Balloons Category:Male Balloons Category:Raven Aerostar Balloons Category:Balloons used outside of the parade Category:Balloons that were in an accident Category:Balloons with misconceptions Category:Big Balloons Category:Balloons using clear material